Plot

When Jessica's niece receives a silver Leprechaun from someone who has been presumed dead for years, Jessica decides to hunt down the mysterious gift giver from beyond the grave.

Favorite aunt Jessica arrives three days before the society wedding of Carol Bannister, who is convinced the silver leprechaun she receives among the wedding gifts is from her grandfather, Jessica's late husband Frank's brother Neil Fletcher, who is presumed dead. When the antiques salesman sort of recognizes his picture as the out of town buyer, Jessica guesses right that he may be among Edgar Carmody's family circus which was in town then, and goes snooping there. She is on Neil's trail, as he works there as a clown under the name Carl Schulman, as Edgar knows. Neil/Carl ran but is arrested after unpopular Hank Sutter, who harassed fellow artist Katie McCallum and bullied her teenage son Charlie, is found dead near, however not trampled by, elephants as none has a blood-stained foot, but beaten to death instead. Neil explains why he staged his own death to escape his loveless marriage. Jessica is determined to prove her brother-in-law's innocence, investigating the other circus people, despite the almighty Mayor Powers, who overrules the cripple, weak sheriff Lynn Childs. But then, Neil confesses and indicates where the murder weapon is.—KGF Vissers

When Jessica arrives at her in-laws to attend her great-niece Carol Banister's wedding, Carol tells her that she is certain her grandfather, Neil Fletcher, is alive even though everyone assumed he had died in a boating accident. Jessica's late husband always doubted that his brother Neil died so Jessica sets out to Arkansas to find him. She eventually finds the Carmody Family traveling circus and her brother-in-law is working as a circus clown but he's also been arrested for the murder of another circus employee, roustabout Hank Sutter. Hank was disliked by many in the circus and may have been responsible for a series of accidents that have negatively affected the circus' balance sheet. Rival circus owner Harry Kingman is hanging around trying to buy out Carmody.—garykmcd